New electric double-deck buses will be running on route 63

[jazzer]

New electric double-deck buses will be running on route 63 which runs between Forest Hill and King?s Cross.

These buses are part of our growing fleet of over 500 zero-emission* buses and will help improve air quality in London.

These new buses will have high back seating throughout the bus, USB charging points and mobile phone holders in the seats, improved information screens. Our priority seats have new covers so they can be quickly identified to make travel easier.

The new buses are part of the improvements we have been making to the service on route 63 and will continue to roll out over the coming months. For more information on this change, visit our buses page.

Our TfL Go app provides information on real-time bus arrivals and status updates. You can use the TfL Go app to plan step-free journeys. All of our bus routes are served by low-floor vehicles, with a dedicated space for one wheelchair user and an access ramp.

Wherever you're going, our network can be used safely. Our services are well ventilated with fresh air, but please continue to keep windows open on buses

Please remember, you must continue to wear a face covering over your nose and mouth on all TfL services and stations, unless you are exempt.

Yours sincerely,

Louise Cheeseman

Director of Buses

[Riverthree]

Whilst this is great (I say this without too much knowledge of exactly how much better this will be from an environmental perspective) - what would make it even better from a transportation and accessibility perspective is if the bus actually went all the way to Honor Oak station.

[jazzer]

and here we go again, (you have highlighted a very old chesnut), SO can we keep this thread about what the title says "New electric double-deck buses will be running on route 63"

[legalalien]

There?s a full press release here with a bit more info (cutting edge wood effect floors!) interesting to see that this route is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2022/february/new-green-productivity-boosting-buses-introduced-but-no-more-will-be-delivered-until-a-long-term-funding-deal-is-secured

[Nigello]

They?re great - especially the sunroof! The windows are large, the seats have power sockets and bus stopping buttons and the visual display showing route and interchanges excellent.

[sally buying]

Will the seats be big enough to take a person and shopping as no one ever mentions the space to accomadate shopping now that cars are being demonised

[Nigello]

Have a ride on one and see whether there is room. Looked plenty big enough to me.

[sally buying]

Are they running now or still to be rolled out?

[northernmonkey]

Running now

[gabys1st]

Will they be wheelchsir accessible, and have space inside the bus for the wheelchair with person sitting in it?

[Waseley]

Funny, half the posts are positive and half are trying to find a hitch. My only issue is that in the last week I've caught the 63 three times, but as yet have not got an electric one. By law buses have to he accessible.

[jazzer]

Some people just seem to like whinging even though the original post is something positive that you'd assume those affected would be happy to learn about.

[Nigello]

Agreed, Jazzer. If anyone wants to cast aspersions and/or praise to the skies, just hop on one for a short while and then report your findings! (I agree that it would be better if the buses were able to get to HOP but that is a different kettle of fish.)

[Lebanums]

Riverthree Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Whilst this is great (I say this without too much

> knowledge of exactly how much better this will be

> from an environmental perspective) - what would

> make it even better from a transportation and

> accessibility perspective is if the bus actually

> went all the way to Honor Oak station.

Whilst the upgrades are fantastic I have to agree with this statement

[ed26]

> Funny, half the posts are positive and half are

> trying to find a hitch.

They have to find a hitch if they aren't going to be able to moan about the buses idling outside the cemetery any more.

It's a great development and shows how far technology has come - it isn't so long since hybrid double deckers and electric single deckers were state of the art.

I'm not sure if the "old chestnut" comment referred to the Honor Oak Park suggestion. I've never seen it on EDF before. Seems like a sensible idea, as it would double the opportunities for getting back to the area from the City on the Overground. I would think it's been considered before and I can't see how it would be easy to turn the buses around down there. Now that the buses are electric, it must be easier to make buses that can travel both backwards and forwards (with reversible seats like old trams) or can turn on a sixpence like black cabs.

[Penguin68]

I'm not sure if the "old chestnut" comment referred to the Honor Oak Park suggestion. I've never seen it on EDF before.

It's been a long-standing suggestion that that 68 running to Honor Oak Park would make it a much more useful route - linking the Overground (Orange line) into the bus services back into town. However I don't think it's practical, unless there was a significant change to the road configuration around the station as there is no area where it could safely turn round (as it just can into and through Wood Vale) to resume its journey back to Kings Cross. By the time you could find a turning circle you've probably added 20 minutes to its journey time (min) which probably isn't acceptable.

[Waseley]

The Forest Hill society were keen on extending the 63 to HOP. This was a quid pro quo when the service was split and no longer ran the whole distance from Kings Cross to crystal Palace. This was a good ten years ago. No harm in writing to TfL, your civic society/residents group or MP.

[Spartacus]

There's a core of people who won't be satisfied unless tfl bring back the original routemaster buses from the 60s.

Not been on the new 63 yet, and my only comment is around the phone holders in the back of the seats as this possibly makes it easier for a snoozing commuter to have their phone snatched.

Overall a positive move for London and curious to know where they are recharged if the run low near the end of the route.

[Waseley]

There was a great documentary about the routemaster a few years ago on the BEEB. They were out of date by the time they were introduced as the model was a single driver taking the fares. They had to stretch the original body. They were from another era where transport operators built and maintained their fleet. That said they were reliable and outlived their competition. They were not accessible.

Looking forward to going on a new one. The lights and route Indic

Tor are lovely and bright so I have seen them.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Spartacus Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There's a core of people who won't be satisfied

> unless tfl bring back the original routemaster

> buses from the 60s.

>

> Overall a positive move for London and curious to

> know where they are recharged if the run low near

> the end of the route.

There are some people that will moan about any public transport unless it involves them being lifted off their couch and directly into a litter carried by circus strongmen directly to their destination.

Apparently the buses have a range of "up to" 160 miles. Even if it were only 80 miles (and presumably that's what the testing is for), that would still be 10 times back and forth between Kings Cross and Honor Oak.

https://www.alexander-dennis.com/products/double-deck-buses-2-axle/byd-adl-enviro400ev/

[legalalien]

Charging at Walworth bus depot it seems - this article has some other interesting info as well.

With home heating charges so high I can see that a day spent on a new bus with a skylight and phone charger could be a good day out! A friend and I used to spend hours studying on a little used and well heated bus on a scenic route back in the dark ages when I was at university.

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/fleet-of-new-electric-buses-coming-to-route-63-51749/

[Lebanums]

ed26 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> > Funny, half the posts are positive and half are

> > trying to find a hitch.

>

> They have to find a hitch if they aren't going to

> be able to moan about the buses idling outside the

> cemetery any more.

>

> It's a great development and shows how far

> technology has come - it isn't so long since

> hybrid double deckers and electric single deckers

> were state of the art.

>

> I'm not sure if the "old chestnut" comment

> referred to the Honor Oak Park suggestion. I've

> never seen it on EDF before. Seems like a sensible

> idea, as it would double the opportunities for

> getting back to the area from the City on the

> Overground. I would think it's been considered

> before and I can't see how it would be easy to

> turn the buses around down there. Now that the

> buses are electric, it must be easier to make

> buses that can travel both backwards and forwards

> (with reversible seats like old trams) or can turn

> on a sixpence like black cabs.

The buses could turn at the bottom of Honor Oak, turn right at the lights & back round.

[Siduhe]

There was a (limited) feasibility study by TFL about 6, maybe 8 years ago, led by one of our local councillors at the time to see if the bus could be extended to pass Honor Oak Station.

The proposed turning route was Honor Oak Park, Brockley Rise, right at the roundabout and then left at the lights back onto Honor Oak Park. From memory it was considered unfeasible due to the difficulties of getting a double decker bus to turn off Stondon Park left at the lights back onto Honor Oak Park (the turn is too sharp a left) and the cost of making the current one way system on that little bit of Honor Oak Park that meets Brockley Rise to be two way for buses (which was the other option). There was also some comment about having to remove the parking on Honor Oak Park by One Tree Hill to facilitate the flow of the bus and an issue about the route of the 63 and the N63 then being different (as the N63 follows the route of the 363, it doesn't stop at the Forest Hill Tavern)

I remember thinking at the time it didn't seem that there was any real effort put in by TFL to find solutions, but it was definitely looked at, and roundly rejected, after a fairly sustained campaign.

[Nigello]

The sunroof is tinted to stop the bus getting overheated. Likewise, the roof will be painted white, like pretty much all TfL buses, to reflect heat from sunlight away. Windows open as well as close!